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National Youth Leadership Council

EIN 41-1449746 · St Louis Park, MN

Public records show a registered, tax-exempt organization in good standing.

LegitimacyPassesRegistration and standingFinancial healthWeak39 out of 100GovernanceStrong100 out of 100Impact evidenceDescribes programsHow well its results are evidenced

What it says it does

TO EQUIP YOUNG PEOPLE WITH THE KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND CONFIDENCE, AMPLIFYING YOUTH VOICE, TO CO-CREATE A MORE JUST, SUSTAINABLE, AND PEACEFUL WORLD.

Income
$792,517
Spending
$1.1 million
Spent on programs
89%
Reserves
0.3 months of spending
Largest source of income
donations and private grants, 68%
Employees
0
Volunteers
75
Highest pay
$125,703, ceo

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Financial health

Weak: 39 out of 100. Higher than 8% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $250k to $1m).

  • Reserves

    4 of 35

    Spendable reserves would cover 0.3 months of spending.

  • Debt

    20 of 20

    It owes 14% of what it owns.

  • Living within its means

    0 of 15

    Spending exceeded income by 43% of income.

  • Income trend

    0 of 15

    Income fell 30% on the year before.

  • Spending floor

    15 of 15

    89% of spending went to programs and raising each dollar of donations cost 3 cents.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Governance

Strong: 100 out of 100. Higher than 95% of charities in its peer group (youth development, $250k to $1m).

  • Independent board

    25 of 25

    11 of 11 voting board members are independent.

  • Conflict of interest policy

    15 of 15

    Has a written conflict of interest policy.

  • Whistleblower policy

    8 of 8

    Has a written whistleblower policy.

  • Record keeping policy

    7 of 7

    Has a written policy on keeping and destroying records.

  • Board minutes

    5 of 5

    Keeps minutes of board meetings.

  • Board sees the tax return

    10 of 10

    Gave the board a copy of this return before filing it.

  • Pay set independently

    5 of 5

    Sets its chief executive's pay through independent review and comparison.

  • Independent check of accounts

    15 of 15

    Its accounts were audited by an independent accountant.

  • No reported misuse

    10 of 10

    Reports no diversion of assets, excess benefits or loans to insiders.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Impact evidence

Describes programs. Its tax return describes what it does but we have found no measurable results in it.

Programs described in its return (3)
  1. $1.0 million spent. THE FUTURE OF LEADERSHIP STARTS HEREWE BELIEVE YOUTH ARE UNIQUELY EQUIPPED TO SOLVE SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST PRESSING PROBLEMS, STARTING IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITIES. OVER THE PAST YEAR, 57 YOUTH-LED TEAMS FROM 24 STATES, ENGAGED 15,542 YOUTH IN SERVICE INITIATIVES THAT POSITIVELY IMPACTED OVER 34,966 COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THESE EFFORTS TACKLED CRITICAL ISSUES SUCH AS EDUCATION, TEEN DRIVER SAFETY, COMMUNITY HEALTH, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND CIVICS AND DEMOCRACY. ADDITIONALLY, NYLC'S YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL GUIDED THE ORGANIZATION'S WORK, ENSURING YOUTH VOICE AND LEADERSHIP ARE AT THE HEART OF EVERYTHING WE DO.
  2. CAPACITY BUILDINGNYLC EXPANDED ITS GLOBAL IMPACT THROUGH CUSTOMIZED SERVICE-LEARNING TRAINING AND SUPPORT FOR SCHOOLS, AFTERSCHOOL PROGRAMS, AND NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS. IN PARTNERSHIP WITH AFTERSCHOOL STATE NETWORKS, NYLC INDIRECTLY REACHED MORE THAN 160,000 YOUNG PEOPLE ACROSS MASSACHUSETTS, MISSOURI, NEBRASKA, AND NEW MEXICO. THE ORGANIZATION PROVIDED PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO 2,829 EDUCATORS AND 936 YOUTH THROUGH 241 ACTIVITIES. THESE EFFORTS INDIRECTLY REACHED NEARLY 500,000 INDIVIDUALS. NYLC ALSO LAUNCHED A THREE-YEAR RESEARCH INITIATIVE, SERVICE-LEARNING IN CIVIC EDUCATION, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SANDERS COMMUNICATION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA, REINFORCING YOUTH VOICE AND LEADERSHIP AS DRIVERS OF EDUCATIONAL AND COMMUNITY IMPACT.
  3. VISIBILITY, CONVENING, & ADVOCACYTHE 36TH ANNUAL NATIONAL SERVICE-LEARNING CONFERENCE CONVENED MORE THAN 400 YOUTH AND ADULTS FROM 36 STATES AND 7 COUNTRIES THROUGH OVER 100 LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES. ADDITIONAL CONVENINGS ENGAGED 845 PARTICIPANTS GLOBALLY. NYLC AMPLIFIED YOUTH VOICE THROUGH THE POWER OF YOUNG PEOPLE PODCAST, GENERATING MORE THAN 2,200 EPISODE PLAYS. DIGITAL OUTREACH REMAINED STRONG, WITH OVER 500,000 WEBSITE PAGE VIEWS, AN AVERAGE MONTHLY E-NEWSLETTER AUDIENCE OF 4,564 READERS, AND MORE THAN 124,000 SOCIAL MEDIA IMPRESSIONS. NYLC ALSO ADVANCED SERVICE-LEARNING THROUGH COALITION PARTICIPATION, ENGAGEMENT WITH STATE AND COMMUNITY LEADERS, AND ADVOCACY FOR YOUTH-CENTERED POLICIES AND PRACTICES.

Source: Form 990 for the year ending September 30, 2025, filed with the Internal Revenue Service. Rating method 2026.2. How we rate

Legitimacy checks

  1. Is it registered with the IRS? Passed.

    Listed in the IRS master file of tax-exempt organizations as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  2. Has the IRS revoked its tax-exempt status? Passed.

    Not on the IRS automatic revocation list.

    Source: Automatic revocation of exemption list, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 30, 2026.

  3. Are donations tax-deductible? Passed.

    On the IRS list of organizations eligible to receive tax-deductible contributions.

    Source: Publication 78 data: organizations eligible for tax-deductible contributions, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 10, 2026.

  4. Is it keeping up with its IRS filings? Passed.

    Most recent return on file covers the year ending September 2025.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  5. How long has it been tax-exempt? Passed.

    Recognized by the IRS since August 1983.

    Source: Exempt Organizations Business Master File, Internal Revenue Service, file dated September 7, 2026.

  6. Is it in good standing with state regulators? Passed.

    Not on California's list of charities barred from soliciting. Other states are not yet checked.

    Source: May Not Operate or Solicit for Charitable Purposes list, California Attorney General, Registry of Charities and Fundraisers, file dated October 7, 2026.

Ratings and checks are our reading of public records, using the published method. They are not a statement about anyone's honesty. If you work for this organization, you can send corrections or results, confirm you want gifts through Veridonate, or ask to be removed from giving.